No, I'm not. I am trying to explain that every other part of the industry isn't going to twiddle their thumbs and go, "Great! Medicare for everyone!" Rather, they are going to react -- and react very negatively to that. Moving to single payer won't just be taking profit motive out of insurers -- it is a step towards taking profit motives out of the entire industry.

Take, for example, Canada. Most hospitals are private owned -- but that isn't "owned by private for-profit corporations." It is owned by primarily charities.

If you switch everyone to Medicare, how does that impact investment in infrastructure tomorrow? How does that impact regional coverage? Do doctors in small population areas pack up shop and go to the city because they get the same rates in both? How does that impact providers that don't accept Medicare assignment? Does everyone just refuse Medicare assignment and everyone charges above rates? Are you legislating that they cannot accept payment from anyone but Medicare to force the rates to be Medicare's (something provincial systems in Canada do)? Does that cause doctors to say fuck it? How about the best doctors -- do they look at re-locating because of it, such as Canadian doctors routinely moving to the US to get out of legislated rates?

What coverage is necessary? Do you have the same coverage across the entire country?